[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 36 (Friday, March 25, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 25, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                         GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY

  Mr. WOFFORD. Mr. President, on this, the 173d anniversary of Greek 
independence from Ottoman rule, we should all be mindful of that most 
wonderful gift that Greece gave to the world so long ago--democracy. It 
was born in a tumultuous period. Wars raged among the city states of 
Greece, Persian armies wrought havoc on the land, and great fleets 
fought for control of the sea; yet the word would not die. The Roman 
Empire came and went, predatory armies conquered their way across the 
continent, and Greece itself was swallowed up by the Ottoman Empire. 
But democracy, that most virtuous form of governance, remained our 
legacy.
  The people of Greece fought long and hard for their freedom. 
Thousands gave their lives to advance the cause. As America's ally, 
more than one-half million Greeks died fighting with us in the Second 
World War.
  It is fitting then, that we should join with the people of Greece in 
celebrating their rebirth in freedom.

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